Herridge: Losing top spot gave us boost we needed

Wokingham & Emmbrook assistant manager Rodger Herridge has hinted that losing their position at the top of Hellenic Division 1 East, albeit for only a few days, could have given young side a wake-up call as they look to claim the title.

Wokingham & Emmbrook assistant manager Rodger Herridge has hinted that losing their position at the top of Hellenic Division 1 East, albeit for only a few days, could have given young side a wake-up call as they look to claim the title.

Wokingham, after falling away from the promotion picture at the end of last season, have led the way from the word go this time around.

However, after winning all their games in hand, culminating in a 3-1 win at Milton United last Monday, Oxfordshire rivals Thame United topped the table for the first time this campaign.

However, after a professional 2-0 win away at Kintbury Rangers on Saturday, the Satsumas retook top spot, and Herridge is determined not to lose it between now and the end of the season.

“I think it gave us a wake up call,” said the assistant boss.

“We want to win the league, but the most important thing is to finish in those top two positions and get promotion.

“As long as we stay top, though, we’re quite happy.

“Thame are hanging in there and had a good result last week, but I’m sure there’ll be a few more twists and turns over the next couple of months.

“We have both got a bit of a cushion at the top now – Henley are falling away a bit, Milton have lost two games on the spin and Holyport can be very unpredictable.

“Us and Thame have been the two most consistent sides this season.

“We had opened up quite a gap, but when Prestwood pulled out we straight away lost six points and all of a sudden that put Thame back in touch with us.

“We know it’s not over and there’s an awful lot of points still to be won.

“We’re more than up for the challenge of Thame and we honestly believe we are the best team in this league.

“We have learned an awful lot in the last year and there’s games that we have played this season that last year we would have almost certainly ended up losing.

“We’re a year older and a year more experienced and the lads have grown up.

“They have been that bit more clever in some of the games – they have stuck to the task and done what has been asked of them.”

This weekend they continue their defence of the Reading Senior Cup as they face Sandhurst Devels, the side they knocked out in the semi-finals last year.

Last month, manager Wayne Wanklyn hinted that he may be forced to play a weakened team after so much of the season was lost to the frozen conditions over Christmas and new year.

Wokingham face a congested fixture list at the end of the season, with eight league games scheduled in just 21 days in April, not taking into account the three cup competitions that the Satsumas remain in.

But Herridge insists that the team will be going out to in on Saturday as they want another chance to show their talent at Reading FC’s Madejski Stadium in the final.

“Our priority is the league, but we want to win every game we play because winning becomes a habit,” said Herridge.

“We want another day out at the Mad Stad so we won’t be taking it lightly.

“You would think that the FA would look at the level of football we are in and extend the season by a couple of weeks, though.

“At the end of the day it will be a test, but the other sides that are around us will be experiencing very similar things.”